Thursday, February 26, 2015

There are certain things that if I see on a menu, I will
almost always order them, and brandade is one of those things. This amazing
dish from the south of France can be made many different ways, but it’s usually
some sort of combination of salt cod, potato, garlic, and olive oil.

Once made, it can be eaten as is, or turned into a beautifully
browned and bubbly gratin. Actually, forget I said that, as this should always
be baked and eaten piping hot, ideally with some homemade crostini.

The biggest (and only) challenge with this dish is handling
the salt cod. It needs to be soaked in cold water for a day or two before you
can work with it. However, depending on
which salt cod you use, the time this takes can vary. If you’ve never used it before, follow the instructions
herein, but maybe cut off a small piece once it’s soaked, cook it in a little
bit of water, and test it for salt content. It should still be kind of salty, but not unpleasantly so.

As I mention in the video, the final product should get
precariously close to being too salty, without going past that point. It's going to be similar to things like smoked salmon, prosciutto, or salami. This is why you should not do
any salting, including when you boil the
potatoes, until everything comes together.

This is a great recipe for entertaining, since you can make
it ahead of time, and bake when you’re ready to serve. You can use one large
shallow dish, or do a smaller size portion like I did here. Remember everything
is cooked; so all you need to do is heat it through, brown the top, and serve.
I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Until recently, beef jerky was a late night, convenience
store impulse buy, and what was in it was the least of your worries at that
hour. I’ve had beef jerky where MSG was the most nutritious thing in it, but
times have changed.

Thanks to a new wave of modern day cave-people, eating
healthy, high-protein snacks is all the rage, and while you can find many
artisan brands out there, making your own is fun, easy, and using this method,
relatively quick.

You can get great flavor with as little as a 3-hour
marination, but feel free to go as long as 24-hours. I did half a batch using
both methods, and I actually prefer the shorter period, which seems to produce
a beefier jerky. Michele on the other hand, liked the longer method, and its
spicier, slightly saltier taste.

You can use any lean cut of beef you want, but I think top
round is a great choice, as I explain in the video. Whatever you decide to use,
please do yourself a favor, and have the butcher cut it for you. Nice thin, even
slices are key, so the meat dries evenly. Just tell the butcher you are making
jerky, and they’ll know what to do. I hope you give this beef jerky recipe a
try soon. Enjoy!

Monday, February 23, 2015

Friday, February 20, 2015

We don’t get to eat a lot of food that’s identical to what
the ancient Romans would have eaten, which is one of the things that makes farro so fun.

They
must have had mushrooms and fermented cream back then, so it’s easy to imagine Cleopatra
and Mark Antony enjoying this before an evening of who knows what.

You can buy dry farro in whole-grain form, but I prefer the
“pearled” style, where the tougher outer layer has been polished
down. Mine took about 40-45 minutes to cook, but that will depend on the
brand you buy, as the sizes, and amount of polishing can vary.

I think this makes the perfect winter side dish, and while
you could serve it as an entrée like a risotto, for me it’s much better as a
co-star. It has a very unique, firm and chewy texture that makes it a great
contrast for roasted or braised meat, but all by itself, it could get tiresome.
That said, I hope you give this exciting “new” grain a try soon. Enjoy!

*Note: You can strain and use the soaking liquid in the
dish, but after only 20 minutes it’s fairly weak, and I wanted the
extra flavor of chicken broth, so I didn’t use it. If you soak them for a
longer time, and/or want to stay vegetarian, then go for it.

The answer is yes and no. You should definitely try this,
since it really does produce a gorgeous, juicy, and flavorful bird; and yet you
don’t need to, because those other recipes are totally working for you. I know,
I’m not being much help.

What I find so interesting about this method is how the
weight of the bricks seem to give the meat a slightly firmer, somewhat compressed
texture. It’s hard to describe, and I’m not 100% sure it’s even actually
happening, but I really believe there’s something unique about this technique.

You should use a big cast iron pan for this, but it will
also work in a high-quality, heavy-duty stainless steel pan, or other oven-proof
skillet. The key is to heat it very well before the chicken goes in. Other
than that, there’s really no way to screw it up, unless you under or overcook it, which won’t happen, since you're going to check it with the thermometer.

By the way, I was kidding about using local, artisan bricks made from reclaimed clay. Since
I live in San Francisco,I figured I
better clarify that.I really hope you give
this fun and effective chicken under brick recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 whole, fully-dressed chicken (mine was 3 1/2 pounds)

salt and pepper to taste

dried or fresh herbs on the inside only

- Roast at 425 F. for 25 minutes, turn and continue cooking until
chicken is done (165 F. internal temp in thigh). Broil on high for a few
minutes to finish crisping skin.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Since there is no National Mancake Day (yet), I decided to
use today’s National Pancake Day celebration as an excuse to repost this mucho
macho variation.

These bacon and cheddar corn pancakes were created as a Father’s
Day brunch special, and have been very well received. I hope you give these “mancakes”
a try soon, like tonight. Click here to see the original post. Enjoy!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Any time someone asks the question, “What exactly is soul
food,” the answer should always be a comforting bowl of red
beans and rice. Just sit them down, give
them a spoon, and when they finish, ask them if they understand. They will.

Like I say in the intro, there are thousands of ways you
can make this, using all sorts of smoked pig parts and sausages, but there are
really only two ways you can serve it – thin and soupy, or thick and creamy.

Once you slowly simmered your beans, and they’re very, very
soft and tender, and your meats are falling apart, you’re ready to serve. If
you ladle it up as is, you’ll have something that’s fairly loose, with most of
the beans still whole. It’s great like this, and based on my travels to New
Orleans, the more common style.

However, another popular technique is to smash and stir some
of the cooked beans into the mixture as you continue cooking. This creates a
much thicker, and creamier consistency, which I really enjoy when I want
something a bit more substantial. It’s closer to a chili texture, and I love
how the rice sticks to it.

This is totally up to personal taste, so if you’ve never
made it before, try some on rice as soon as the beans are tender, and it’s
still pretty juicy. Check it out, and then, if you want, you can continue
cooking/smashing/stirring to end up closer to where I did.

Regardless of how thick you make yours, you’ll want to soak
your beans overnight in cold water before starting the recipe. If you forget,
which you will, you can always use the quick method. Bring the beans to a boil
in large pot of water, turn off the heat, and let it sit there for an hour or
so to soften up, and become easier to digest.

If you put enough meat in it, this is more than a meal, but
it also makes a great side dish for barbeque, or pretty much anything. Throw in
some collard greens, and maybe some cornbread, and let the good times roll. I
hope you give this easy, red beans and recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

12 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced or cubed

1 cup finely diced onion

3/4 cup finely diced celery

3/4 cup finely diced green peppers

4 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 smoked ham hock

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 quarts chicken broth or water, plus more as needed to
adjust consistency

Friday, February 13, 2015

My friends at Allrecipes.com have been working on some online
food-related quizzes, and wanted me to check one out to see what I thought. I
was hesitant at first, since I was obviously going to get all the questions
right, and have to tell them their test was way too easy, thereby possibly hurting
someone’s feelings.

However, much to my chagrin, I only scored a 15.Apparently, the quiz is not too easy.Do you think you could beat Chef John’s
score? Find out here!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

I’ve always wanted to do a Baked Alaska, and with
Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to
demonstrate this show-stopping dessert. I just didn’t anticipate coming up with possibly the greatest browning
meringue hack in history.

As you’ll see in the video, I made two of these, so I could
show you a couple different ways to decorate. After browning the first one
with a blowtorch, my preferred method, I started on the second, and for whatever
reason the torch stopped working.

I was just about to turn on the oven, where you can finish
these at 500°F until browned, when I had an idea. I’d just bought a
windproof lighter to use when grilling in the backyard, and wondered if the tiny jet
flame that shoots out from the tip would be hot enough to do the job. It was,
and it did.

As far as the actual recipe itself, there’s really not a lot
that can go wrong. As long as you freeze your ice cream cake thoroughly before
browning the meringue, and cook your sugar syrup to 240°F, yours will
look just like mine, or better.

There are obviously unlimited combinations of cake and ice
cream flavors you can use for this, so I suggest consulting with your
Valentine, and giving this easy Baked Alaska technique a try very soon. Enjoy!

For 2 Baked Alaska:

Note: You can make these ahead, including the piping, freeze, and then brown the meringue before serving.

1 1/2 cups raspberry ice cream

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

2 round thick slices chocolate cake

For the Italian meringue:

2 large egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

- beat to soft peak, and slowly add 240 F. sugar syrup (see
below)

- continue beating until you have stiff peaks that will hold
a sharp line

For the sugar syrup:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

FLAMBE NOTE: First of all, be careful. Pour an ounce or so
of any liqueur (I used brandy but cherry liqueur or Framboise would be even
better) into a pan and place on low heat. When it’s warm enough you can it ignite
with a lighter, and spoon the flaming liquid over your baked Alaska. Just be
sure to turn down the lights!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Every once in a while I post a video that makes a recipe
look way harder than it is, and this “simple” lobster macaroni and cheese is
one such dish. The problem has to do with the fact that for this kind of
recipe, we’re preparing each of the main components simultaneously.

While you finish your cheese sauce, you cook your pasta; in
between stirs you cut up your lobster, and make your breadcrumbs. Nothing
technically difficult, but since I decided to film the steps in the order I did
them (instead of prepping things ahead and filming each component start to
finish), this does look kind of daunting. It’s not.

You can actually prep these ahead, and bake before that
romantic, possibly Valentine’s, dinner. You probably want to take them out
and let them warm up for 30 minutes before before baking. By the way, only bake these until the
tops are browned, and the inside is just hot. If you leave them in past that
point, you’re risking the cheese breaking, and things will get greasy.

As far as the lobster goes, tails are pretty easy to find,
and one 5 or 6-ounce tail per person is plenty with the rich, cheesy macaroni.
Of course, you’ll want to check to make sure your sweetheart isn’t allergic to
shellfish, because that would be a little awkward. Otherwise, I hope you give
this a try soon. Enjoy!

*Note: Like I said in video, make sure your mac and cheese
mixture is wet and saucy in the pan, otherwise it might get dry when it bakes. Don’t
be afraid to add a splash of the pasta water to loosen things up.

I have a small, but passionate group of viewers that regularly
submit food wishes for slow cooker recipes, but for whatever reason I can never
seem to make it happen. To very nominally make up for that, I’d hope you check her post out, and maybe give it a try. If you do, you can use them in either of these great soup recipes. Just click on the title, and away you go. Enjoy!

Friday, February 6, 2015

As promised, here’s the fresh raspberry sauce we served with
our recently posted chocolate decadence cake. While originally
intended to be a companion video for that dessert, this stuff is so beautiful
and delicious, you and your Valentine may not even need the cake.

Like I mentioned in the video, this will absolutely work
even if you use frozen raspberries, but nothing compares to the flavor of the
sauce if you can somehow find and use fresh raspberries.

Of course, that’s only half the battle, because the real key,
besides the fresh fruit, is not overcooking the sauce.We don’t want to boil and reduce this
mixture. We’re not trying to make a thick heavy syrup, but instead a
light, fresh, and vibrant pool of raspberry goodness.

This was perfect with our chocolate decadence, but
would be equally as effective with pretty much any quality, store-bought dessert;
in particular cheesecake, or vanilla ice cream. I’ve checked with the legal
team, and even if you put this on something from the market, you’re still
allowed to technically call your dessert "homemade."

By the way, if this gorgeous sauce doesn’t help you seduce
the object of your desire this Valentine’s Day, don’t be too upset, as it
probably wasn’t meant to be. So good luck, and I hope you give this fresh
raspberry sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

*Depending what you’re going to serve the sauce with, you
may want to add some water before cooking the berries. If you want something a
little thicker, to serve over ice cream for example, then don’t add any water. On
the other hand, if you want and lighter texture like I did, toss in a few
tablespoons of water before heading to the stove. Be careful; we’re not
boiling and reducing the sauce, so we can’t cook out excess liquid.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

This “flourless” chocolate cake was all the rage in the
1980’s, and looking back, it all makes sense. As I vaguely remember, the decade
celebrated decadent overindulgence, and this dessert is that, and more. By
modern standards, this cake is ridiculously rich. In fact, some of you may find
it too intense, but most true chocolate fiends will be in heaven.

This was invented by chef Narsai David, in Berkeley,
California, and while close to the original, I bumped up the ingredient amounts
a bit, so we can use a standard 9-inch pan. Also, he doesn’t use cayenne. By the way, if
you don’t use the same chocolate I did (milk, white, etc.), I can’t tell
you what will happen, because I don’t know.

I dusted the buttered pan with flour, because that’s how Mr.
David does it, but my sources in the pastry world tell me that cocoa may be a
better choice, since it won’t leave a light film. Doesn’t bother me, but I have
to write something for these posts.

Be careful not to overcook this. It goes for a relatively
short time in a hot oven, so while mine took about 14 minutes, you should start
checking around 13. The top will be just barely set, with a jiggle below the
surface. If it’s really soupy, then leave it another minute and check again.

This is best served very cold. It’s easier to cut, and I
enjoy the texture more than at room temp. As I mentioned, stay tuned for the raspberry sauce video, which I’ll post on Friday. That will give you plenty of
time to practice both for Valentine’s Day. I hope you give this a try
soon.Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9-inch cake pan (this is extremely rich
cake, so you can easily get 12 to 16 servings):

Monday, February 2, 2015

We’re currently right in the middle of stew season, and this
beautiful bowl of beef and barley would be perfect for your next super-storm.

Nope,
we can’t do anything about our crazy weather, at least according to a handful
of climate scientists employed by the oil industry, but what we can do
something about, is what we’re going to eat while we watch the snow pile up.

When it comes to stick-to-your-ribs stews, it doesn’t get
any better than shank.There’s so much gelatin-producing
connective tissue, that it makes an especially satisfying sauce for your
meat and grain.

Speaking of grain; I use something called “naked barley,” which I thought was just a catchy
name for polished, or “pearl barley," but apparently it’s actually a rare
variety where the hull comes off naturally during harvesting. I still say it’s
a clever marketing ploy, but no matter which barley you choose, you’re still
going to just cook it until tender.

By the way, with recipes like this be sure to have some
extra broth or stock on hand, in case your stew gets too thick at the end. And
yes, you can add extra liquid and easily turn this into a stellar soup. If you
can find some fresh horseradish root, I highly recommend trying my snowy
garnish. It really adds a nice, little sharp counterpoint to the sticky stew. I
hope you give it a try soon.Enjoy!

Sunday, February 1, 2015

You saw it. I saw it. The whole world saw it. The Seattle
Seahawks had Super Bowl XLIX won. All they had to do was give the ball to the
best running back in football, and it was over. Two yards, a cloud of dust, and
they’re the champs.

But, inexplicably, a pass was called, and defeat was
snatched from the jaws of victory. It will undoubtedly go down as the dumbest,
most ridiculous, and perplexing coaching decision in the history of sports. So,
why did it happen?

Did the Patriots have compromising photos of Pete Carroll,
and use them to blackmail him into throwing the game? Or, maybe he's crazy? Is he crazy? Or, did New England
somehow tamper with the chicken bones I used? Hey, I wouldn’t put it past them. Unfortunately, we may never know for sure, but what we do know is this; the bones were right,
again.